A Riverside Bistro to Remember

 If I weren't a Fairfield County citizen, sitting by the window at Westport's River House Bistro, I would have been led to believe that I was no longer in Connecticut but actually coastal Maine.

Overlooking the vitreous Saugatuck river where the water and sky become one, senescent docks secured with seafaring rope are weathered from a lifetime of treading water while kayakers slice through the placid water with their yellow oars. It's easy to see why I would mistake Westport, Conn., for one of its Northern brothers.

It's not uncommon for restaurants with a name boasting its close proximity to water to decorate its interior with tawdry nautical accoutrements. Fortunately, this is not the case for River House. What was once called the River House Tavern now bears the moniker, "bistro." Bistro is a fitting classification for this establishment as River House is decorated with bright, pearl white walls, a cynosure bar, and tables swathed in white linen and crowned with a roughly cut piece of brown butcher paper. If only they provided crayons to draw with. Certainly it's a far cry from the brooding ambiance so many taverns exhibit. 

 The ducks on the dock peered on as I took my first bite, an audible one at that, of the Lobster Spring Rolls ($14).  Its golden shell flaked off in my mouth with a fried brittleness exposing an opulence of tender claw meat, slivers of ripe mango, julienned jalapeno and a wisp of ginger. Paired with the spring rolls was a drizzle of a mild wasabi mayonnaise and small saucer of soy sauce that augmented the appetizer's Asian flair.

 The Yellowfin Tuna Tartare ($14) was equally satisfying. Faded ruby jewels of Yellowfin tuna gleamed like the light-refracting Saugatuck River to my right. Molded annularly and layered with thin slices of avocado like a truncated Napolean, the tuna's freshness is obvious with its high-tide redolence. Capricious notes of cilantro and citrus heighten the flavor. Like the Lobster Spring Rolls, it too is drizzled with the softly scented wasabi mayonnaise.

Though seafood is the principal protein of choice for the appetizers, Roasted Artichokes with a pancetta-Parmesan stuffing ($10) or the Artisan Cheese Board with seasonal fruits, olives and candied nuts ($12-$20) could satisfy a non-seafood friendly palate.

 As the night progressed from appetizer to entrée, people swelled from the centerpiece bar into the dining area like a white-capped ocean, making getting to the restroom similar to maneuvering a kayak around obtrusive rocks. When going for a mid-meal stroll, beware of human obstacles.

The entrees stayed true to the Bistro mentality with unpretentious offerings like the Pan Seared Diver Scallops ($29), however, the prices might suggest otherwise. Though its accompanying roasted corn sauce was far more ascetic than desired, with only modest suggestions of roasted corn, the diver scallops had a tender interior with an agreeable pan seared crust. Plenteous portions of jasmine rice and garlic sautéed spinach fill out the dish.

The Grilled Pork Chop ($26) took on a pleasurable wood-smokiness from the grill. Despite the favorable flavor, having been cooked closer to well done (not on request), I ate the pork reproachfully as its dehydrated flesh was in need of a juice transfusion. The tomato-onion gravy was less of a gravy and more like a marinara Fra Diavolo sauce — diners with a sensitive palate beware: it packs a bit of heat. The plate is rounded out with almost lump free mashed potatoes and shares commonality with the Diver Scallops' side of spinach.  

What's a bistro without Steak and Pommes Frites? At the River House you don't have to worry about that. The 8-ounce Filet Mignon with homemade truffle and Parmesan perfumed fries takes care of this obligatory bistro fare.

Like the entrees, the wine list is simple if not modest. Averaging $10 per glass, it's not the kind of wine menu in which vinous dreams are sated — though it will certainly quench a thirst.

Dessert is worth saving room for —at least for the Warm Chocolate Cake. Chocoholics will leave bleary eyed after putting back this hedonistic cake. Upon severing its thin chocolate cake shell, its sybaritic interior sullies your spoon with its chocolate ganache-like decadence. A copious scoop of homemade coconut ice cream—studded with real pieces of chewy coconut—provides a slight refuge from the chocolate's dictatorship. 

The Crème Brule is a slightly lighter option with its vanilla scented custard and its wild berry ornamented, paper-thin, torched sugar shell. Or if those desserts aren't to your liking, perhaps the assortment of sorbets and ice creams will slake your sweet tooth. 

While you linger over dessert, peering out onto the now blackened Saugatuck, remember that just as voices tend to carry on water, conversations tend to carry in River House. Don't forget to whisper.

On a scale of 1-10, I rate it:

Food: 6  Decor: 6  Service: 7

Editor's note: Andrew Hoover has professional kitchen experience with stints at several restaurants, including the now closed AAA four-diamond Westport restaurant Miramar. He also runs his own catering business. His opinions expressed in the review are his alone. Comments are welcome on this review or sent to liz@patch.com.